Chicago Med Can’t Lose Its 15-Year Gaffney Legend After Season 12's Twist

Published Oct 8, 2026, 7:30 AM EDT

Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. 

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Chicago Med season 12, episode 1, "Shots Fired."Chicago Med has officially returned to NBC for season 12. The premiere had a lot to tackle in the wake of season 11's cliffhanger finale, and the first big crisis of the fall needed all hands on deck. After hitting the milestone 200th episode last season, it was a big question whether the medical drama could raise the stakes even higher with the season 12 premiere in NBC's complete 2026 fall schedule.

Most of Chicago Med's main actors and characters were set to come back for season 12, and NBC continued its One Chicago Wednesday lineup for the 2026-2027 TV season. As usual, Chicago Med is followed by Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. in the network's Wednesday night schedule. Grouping three of Dick Wolf's many TV shows has only worked for One Chicago; NBC's Law & Order Thursdays fell apart after just four seasons, while CBS' FBI Tuesdays were completely cut.

In the season 12 premiere, Chicago Med proved yet again why it's the best show to start Wednesday nights. A mass shooting at a wedding meant that everybody in the ED was gloved up and busy. Even Dr. Charles was pitching in beyond psychiatry, and Hannah was pulled back from maternity leave early. The payoff of season 11's cliffhanger, which saw Sharon Goodwin's job on the line after seemingly leaking information, didn't come until the final moments of "Shots Fired." Charge Nurse Doris revealed that she was the guilty party, and that's a big problem for more than one reason.

Why Chicago Med Can't Fire Nurse Doris In Season 12

Courtesy of MovieStillsDB

Actress Lorena Diaz has been part of the Chicago Med cast going back to the very beginning, but Doris herself has been part of the Gaffney Med team for 15 years. On a drama with a pretty high rate of actor turnover, Doris became a comfortingly familiar face over the past 11 seasons and counting. Even though she made a grave error on the job in season 10, she's been a constant presence on the show. That long tenure even explains why she'd be willing to take drastic measures to save Dr. Charles' job.

That said, Doris can't be fired from Gaffney for more than just sentimental reasons. After Maggie's abrupt off-screen exit between seasons 10 and 11, Doris was promoted to become the charge nurse of the ED. That's not a role that just any nurse can fill on a regular basis, and Med doesn't have an alternate to step up. Showrunner Allen MacDonald already confirmed that Maggie won't be coming back to retake the job from Doris, either. Speaking with Give Me My Remote, MacDonald said:

There will be references made to Maggie—but there are no plans for Marlyne to come back this season.

There's no backup for Doris as charge nurse, and Chicago Med needs a charge nurse to keep the crises running as smoothly as possible at Gaffney. She didn't get any farther than telling Goodwin that she was responsible for leaking the files and saving Dr. Charles' job, so there are more questions than answers about what pushed Doris to make the decision. Still, she fills a unique role, and Med hasn't built any other nurses up enough to be ready to fill in.

How Chicago Med Can Save Both Sharon & Nurse Doris

Courtesy of MovieStillsDB

On the surface, Chicago Med delivering the twist about Doris leaking the documents seems like the medical drama sacrificing Lorena Diaz's character so that S. Epatha Merkerson's character could come back to her job. Despite Doris' longevity on the show, Sharon Goodwin is undeniably a much bigger character, and it's entirely possible that Med could cut Doris so that Goodwin could return.

Nevertheless, Chicago Med has delivered enough medical miracles over the years that fans shouldn't rule out both characters sticking around. Doris technically only confessed to Goodwin herself at the end of "Shots Fired." As far as anybody else knows, Goodwin is still the most likely candidate to have leaked the documents, despite her protests that she's innocent. What happens next depends on what the two women decide.

Goodwin is undoubtedly more prepared to face administrative pressure than Doris would be, and is likely sympathetic toward Doris. Even if she could be a stickler for the rules at times, Goodwin would also do just about anything for Dr. Charles, and Doris' actions saved his job. If they keep her confession to themselves, they could just hope for the best with Goodwin taking the heat.

Question 1 of 3

It's also a safe bet that any of the doctors and nurses in the ED would step up for Goodwin and Doris, so they wouldn't be short on allies if the truth came out. Both characters having a future at Gaffney may depend on how well they (and their friends in the ED) can keep secrets. Doris evidently had no problem keeping the news to herself over the months of hiatus, and Goodwin evidently spent the same span of time refusing to give in and settle on the case.

See if Chicago Med finds a way to keep both Doris and Goodwin with new episodes on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, ahead of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET.

• 

  Marlyne Barrett

  Maggie Lockwood

• 

  S. Epatha Merkerson

  Sharon Goodwin

Chicago Med is a medical drama series that explores the high-stakes environment of a bustling Chicago hospital. Set against the backdrop of chaotic emergency room scenarios, the series follows a team of dedicated doctors and nurses as they confront challenging cases inspired by real-world issues, while navigating complex relationships.